The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica | 
| Authors: Mavis Hiltunen Biesanz, Richard Biesanz, Karen Zubris Biesanz
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $11.00
You Save: $8.95 (45%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 165691
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 307
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 1555877370
Dewey Decimal Number: 972.8605
EAN: 9781555877378
ASIN: 1555877370
Publication Date: October 1998
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Condition: EX-LIBRARY; used item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned for refund. Buy with confidence - your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics!
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Product Description
This volume traces the development of Costa Rica's culture and institutions. The authors describe how Costa Rica's economy, government, educational and health-care systems, family structures, religion, and other institutions have evolved, and how this has affected the people's lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 The Ticos August 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My wife was all set to retire to Costa Rica before she read "The Ticos".
Now however she is more hesitant. From that I conclude that maybe the
book is too honest and tells too much. (Warts and all).
Anyway, we were going to go and see for ourselves what we find. Thanks for making us aware of the possible pitfalls.
This is a very detailed book and I enjoy it very much.
No Page Turner but full of information February 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Other reviews suggested this for anyone moving to Costa Rica and I totally agree. I stuggled through it but it took me back to my days in college and some of dryer courses engineers had to take as compulsorary's to broaden our character and view of the world. :)
Just going as a tourist, I am sure I will appreciate a lot of this information once I get to Costa Rica. But I was looking for more of a Michner novel where I could learn about the country and its history through a story line. (Still looking if anyone has any ideas.)
A bit of light reading... January 21, 2007
Do not expect an "in-depth" book about Costa Rican politics and sociology, but a light reading compendium for those who want to learn a bit about the political and social background of this wonderful country...
Dry but Informative and Readable August 19, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was a little dry and psuedo-academic at times, considering the informal methods used by the authors. Chapters on history and economy read a little like high school history lessons but are informative none the less. The rest of the book moves more quickly and the subjects of culture, class and society are interesting. The major strength of this book is that it burts the mythical bubble of Costa Rica as a perfectly tolerant utopian paradise where all problems have been solved by universal health care and the welfare state. It instead paints a more humane, down to earth picture of contrasts and presents a view of the dynamic social and cultural forces at work in Costa Rica. Aside from the occasionally overly-academic tone, the only other drawback is the composite picture/ broad brush approach the authors use. Many generalizations are made relative to each of the subjects covered by the book, but arguably no book that sums up an entire culture could avoid doing this--so its moot compared to the eye opening revelations presented by the authors. Lots of "guide books" are written like second rate book reports by people with no familiarity with the culture or country. This book is tryly authentic. It is not marketed as a guide book, and that makes it an even better guide!
almost as good as my favorite CR book! May 29, 2004
While Biesanz & company have produced a lucid and info-packed "insider's" book on Costa Rica, I still find that it comes in second to my favorite CR book, "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made": a hybrid of a coffee-table book, a social/ politcial discussion and a geological history in a series of essays and sidebars. The Last Country The Gods Made truly does live up to it's scope of topics. Aside from geology and social history, it covers the political and economic history of the country and emphasizes its liberal reformist tradition as exceptional in Central America. I just like the writing better because the subjects are leavened by humor and, at times, almost poetical diction.
Also, frankly, the photos are better! And the prices are comparable so, maybe check them both out! But if you're on a budget, just buy The Last Country.
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